Accommodating Students

1. Accommodating Students San Francisco Region Health and Wellness Conference May 2006

2. Modifications or adjustments that will allow a student with a disability to participate in the Job Corps program to a degree equivalent to a student without a disability under the same or similar circumstances. What is reasonable accommodation?

3. Making facilities accessible • Restructuring a task • Substituting tasks • Changing schedules • Acquiring or modifying equipment/devices • Modifying work/training site • Providing readers, writers, interpreters • Providing transition planning and support Examples of Reasonable Accommodation

4. Do not know how • Think it costs too much • Feel uncomfortable asking a person with a disability what they need • Unfamiliar with available resources Obstacles to Providing Reasonable Accommodation

5. What accommodations has the individual received in the past? • IEP • 504 Plans • Vocational Rehabilitation Documentation • What are the student’s strengths and weaknesses, learning styles, etc. • Do the accommodations under consideration make use of the student’s strengths and preferred learning style(s)? • Do those accommodations remain relevant to the current situation? Accommodation Considerations

6. Are they sufficient to provide the student access to all areas of the program? • If not, what additional accommodations are necessary (e.g. in vocations, residential, other common areas)? Accommodation Considerations (2)

7. Applicant is requesting large print materials, information on tape, etc. • Applicant refuses to wear corrective lenses What are the considerations? Scenario #1 – Visual Impairment

8. What is the degree of the visual impairment with corrective lenses? • Would it still require use of large print and audio-taped materials? • There are situations where the visual impairment is not correctable or not sufficiently correctable with lenses and/or may still be significant enough to warrant additional accommodation. Considerations

9. Gather information on the need for the reasonable accommodation. If the request is not substantiated, submit all of the data to the center director. • If the center director believes that there is insufficient support for the accommodations, then he/she should submit the request to the appropriate DOL program manager for review. • The regional office will make the final decision about the provision of those accommodations. Next Steps

10. Student uses dual hearing aides and needs both hearing aides replaced. Is it the center’s responsibility to replace the hearing aides? Scenario #2 – Hearing Impairment

11. Hearing aides are considered personal devices and the student is not entitled to replacements as a reasonable accommodation. HOWEVER, • What happens if the applicant has no insurance or other resource to help pay for the replacement aides and the center cannot assist the student in connecting with local resources that could assist with the replacement of the hearing aides? Considerations

12. The center has to provide reasonable accommodation for the student’s hearing impairment. (Identify how the student acquired his hearing aides initially to determine if that is a possible current resource) Considerations

13. In an attempt to learn more about the minds of millionaires, a team of psychologists and business experts, spent a day testing a group of entrepreneurial millionaires. They were put through a series of tests. • 40% of the 300 millionaires who participated in the more comprehensive study had been diagnosed with dyslexia. (The Sunday Times, October 5, 2003). • Ali Bazley, of the British Dyslexia Association suggests that dyslexics who struggle make up for it by being more creative, and looking at the bigger picture. "People with dyslexia, are often very good lateral and strategic thinkers." (Express & Echo, Exeter, October 8, 2003.) • By: LD OnLine (2003); http://www.ldonline.org/article/5665 LD Study 2003

14. "They don't do failure, they redefine it. Failure for them is a learning experience that will enable them to be even better. If they fall over, they just come straight back up again. I have never met such a bunch of optimistic people. Everything is an opportunity, the glass isn't half full, it's spilling over." (Sunday Times, 10/5/03) • What skills do these individuals most likely have? • Strong Problem solving ability • Strong Critical thinking skills • Ability to establish goals • Able to reframe what is not working. LD Study 2003

15. Student has dyslexia and has a reading level of 3.4 Case Scenario #3 – Learning Disability

16. REMEMBER: • Identify student’s strengths. • Identify student weaknesses. • Identify student affinities. • Review existing documentation (IEP, 504, VR) • Identify barriers to the program for this student. The base definition for a learning disability is that the student is of average to above average intelligence… Considerations

17. Strong auditory learner even though reading level is low • Educational testing indicates average to above average cognitive ability but below average performance scores What do I know about this student?

18. Audiotape classroom instruction • Materials on tape, DVDs, or MP3s • Video tapes • Reading software/speech output • Use a Reader Examples of Accommodations

19. Student is diagnosed with AD/HD, inattention type. The student • is highly distractible • has poor attention control • weak short term memory Scenario #4 – AD/HD

20. Average attention span for this student is about 5 minutes (you can learn this in a relatively short time by observing the student’s behavior and reactions during various activities) • He is visually and auditorily distractible. • He loves vintage cars. What do I know about this student?

21. Frequent Breaks (this student must have opportunities for movement in order to focus and maintain attention) • Use of timers/vibrating/programmable watches • Preferential Seating • Survey the environment. • What are the visual/auditory stimuli the student is likely to encounter? Are there windows in the classroom? Is there an air handler unit? Are there colorful/cluttered bulletin boards nearby? • Performance Checklists (completed by the student and monitored by the staff person). • Can be useful in a variety of environments • Use study carrels for testing Accommodation Examples

22. Incorporate discussion or facts about vintage cars into classroom instruction on occasion. • Allow break with a car magazine (don’t leave lying around) • Change up classroom activities for this student whenever possible (from desk work to use of manipulatives to group work) • Work with the recreation specialist to try and encourage this student to actively participate in recreational activities. • Use of ear plugs during seat work. Strategies for the student with AD/HD

23. Student has an IQ of 70 • IQ scores must always be viewed in relation to the “whole” picture of the individual • IQ scores can be affected by a student’s mood, well being, etc. on the day of testing • Requires a skilled examiner as the goal is to measure the individual’s ability and not their disability. • Type of disability may impact score • Applicant’s history and school services may impact score • Reading level is a 4.1 Scenario # 5 – Intellectual Disability

24. What are the subtest scores of this student’s intelligence testing? Verbal vs. Performance, etc. • She is a visual learner • Higher amounts of repetition of a particular activity or task may be required to help the student learn it sufficiently What do I know about this student?

25. Provide visual learning materials particularly in the vocational area – visual step by step instructions. • Audiotape information (even though auditory learning may not be preferred mode of learning, it can still serve to reinforce concepts. • Incorporate previously learned material with introduction of new concepts • Increase exposure to previously learned concepts • Reinforce previously learned skills (Example: visual step by step procedures for tasks in culinary arts might include basic safety and general prep information (i.e. wash hands, clean surface working on, etc.) • Simplify language in learning materials maintaining integrity of core content. Accommodation Examples

26. Student has a diagnosis of Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) FYI: There are two primary types of processing disorders (sometimes known as perceptual processing disorders) • Visual Processing Disorder • Auditory Processing Disorder Scenario #6 – Auditory Processing Disorder

27. Difficulties with auditory processing do not affect what is heard by the ear, but do affect how this information is interpreted, or processed by the brain. • An auditory processing deficit can interfere directly with speech and language, but can affect all areas of learning, especially reading and spelling. When instruction in school relies primarily on spoken language, the individual with an auditory processing disorder may have serious difficulty understanding the lesson or the directions. • Difficulties experienced by individuals with CAPD may be similar to those individuals with AD/HD. What does this mean?

28. Talks louder than necessary • Difficulty remembering a list or sequence • Often needs words or sentences repeated • Poor ability to memorize information learned by listening • Interprets words too literally • Hearing clearly in noisy environments. Common Difficulties

29. Combine oral teaching with visual aids. • Ask that teachers and others make it physically, visually or audibly clear when they are about to begin something important so that nothing is missed. • Have a note-taking buddy who will make sure that information was understood or provide copies of information discussed. • Instructors and teachers should stand near this student when providing oral instruction or lecture. • Have student repeat back information or instructions to build comprehension skills and make sure messages are understood correctly. • Find or request a quiet work space away from others. • Provide written material when you giving oral presentations. • Ask for directions to be given one at a time, as you go through each step. • Take notes or use a tape recorder when getting any new information, even little things. Examples of Accommodations

30. Universal design is an approach to designing course instruction, materials, and content to benefit people of all learning styles without adaptation. Universal design provides equal access to learning, not simply equal access to information. Although this design enables the student to be self-sufficient, the teacher is responsible for imparting knowledge and facilitating the learning process. Universal design does not remove academic challenges; it removes barriers to access. Universal Design of Learning (UDL)

31. UDL does not replace an individual’s right to specific accommodation • It creates a more inclusive environment • It is beneficial for students with and without disabilities including ESL/ELL learners • It provides ready access to a variety of accommodations. Learn more about UDL at: http://jccdrc.gov/ld UDL

32. During budget preparations, research and make decisions about the types of software, equipment, tools, educational materials, etc. most often used and needed by students with disabilities. Purchase those items most often needed and/or that can be used with students with and without disabilities. • Consider setting up a UDL model in one classroom. • Make connections with college and university disability centers and ask if you can be contacted as an interested recipient in donations or for low cost purchases of equipment when they are upgrading their existing inventory. Strategic Planning

33. The greatest barrier individuals with disabilities have faced for decades and continue to face today is that of attitudinal barriers.

34. LD website • http://jccdrc.org/ld • Job Corps Disability website • http://jcdisability.jobcorps.gov/index.htm • Job Accommodation Network • http://www.jan.wvu.edu/ Resources